General Description

A Climie, A Cousins, D Squire, A Miller, A Minchin, V Dewar, Brambles.

Millar and Cousins during stopover in Sydney. Both men were in ‘C’ Company however Millar was unable to re-board ‘Aquitania’ when it sailed for Singapore from Fremantle on 16 Jan 1942 and was sent to Java. He survived.

Arnie Cousins was selected in Singapore to work on the Burma-Thai Railway with ‘A’ Force Burma Green Force Battalion No. 3.

When the railway was completed the IJA moved all the POWs who had been working in Burma south to Thailand.

Many including Arnie Cousins were evacuated to Tamarkan. It was here he was later selected on 27 March 1944 to work in Japan and following health injections was sent by rail via Bangkok to Phom Pehn, Indo China (now Vietnam).

Here the POWS left the train (end of rail line) and made their way to Saigon. The men of ‘Rakuyo Maru’ party spent weeks working around the docks before the Japanese decided the American sea blockade was too effective and they were unable to sail for Japan from this coastline. The Rakuyo group was then sent to Phom Penh to return to Singapore by rail via Bangkok.

The men were accommodated in Singapore at River Valley Road Camp waiting for their ship ‘Rakuyo Maru’. It was about 5 months since first being selected for this work party!

Eventually the POWs sailed out of Singapore just a few days prior to be hit by torpedoes from American Submarines and sinking about 14 September 1944.